#SheSharesTruth | Psalm 130

It’s Friday. The end of the week. Three days into the season of Lent. Thirteen days until Spring. A day that the Lord has given to us for His glory.

What a gift!

Today is also the very first Friday in our #SheSharesTruth experiment. You may remember me outlining some of the details for you on Wednesday:

People say that one of the best ways to learn is to teach. We’ve certainly found this to be true for ourselves. Whether you consider yourself a writer or not, whether you have a blog with 10 or 10,000 readers – or don’t have a blog at all – we want to give you the opportunity to share truth! Every Friday during Lent, YOU will be our writers. We will assign your scriptures on Monday, and you’ll have five days to study, prepare and write. And then the fun. On Friday, come to the SheReadsTruth site and share the link to the devotional you’ve written – a hundred different takes on the same passage!

All that to say… Friday means that our community has the opportunity to teach truth. On their blogs, through social media, and with their SheReadsTruth sisters right here, today we share what we have learned in our deeper study of Psalm 130.

[Also, PLEASE feel free to use the graphic below for your posts! We made it for you!]

Here’s the plan:

Write your devotional/reflections/response to Psalm 130 on your personal blog. (If you don’t have a blog, use Instagram, Facebook with the hashtags #SheSharesTruth and #SheReadsTruth; or even write the comments section here.)

Link to this post so your readers can know about the #SheSharesTruth experiment too.

Share the link to your post/Facebook update/Instagram below in the LinkyTool below.

Visit each other’s links – at least one or two (maybe the two people who linked up before you?). Comment there – tell them you see them and hear them! Let’s talk about the God of Psalm 130 together!

**Please share our heart, sisters. Our desire is not for this to be a time of comparison or sizing up writing abilities or spiritual maturity. Eloquence and insight are lovely, but we know that is not the thing our God calls us to. So, let’s not call each other to that either. Sister, if you feel ill-equipped – GOOD! If you feel like you have so much to learn – GREAT. SO DO WE! Every single time we sit down to write. And if we don’t, are hearts are not in the right place. Let this be a safe place to learn and share and love each other WELL.

I am so excited to curl up & read all of your devotionals. I have yet to post mine…but maybe next Friday I will jump in. I'm so glad we are all loving this study so far. Being my first on SRT, I am so impressed. God is so, so good!!

I am new to the Bible and this is my first devotional. This reading was very encouraging!

We are all sinners. And sometimes we do step out of the light of the Lord and His word. But He is merciful and will forgive us time and time again. We cannot match His perfection and He does not keep score.

He is love.
He is redemption.

"I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning." (Psalm 130: 5-6)

That line is repeated to stress its importance. If we use our time to hope in His word. To read the bible. It will give us strength to wait for Him to redeem our sinful souls.

This Psalm really encourages me to take the time to hope in His word every day by sitting down and reading the bible.

I was excited and scared to do this all at the same time. I sometimes feel inadequate to write my own devotion since my sister is so much more educated in the bible than I. Thank you for this opportunity!

Verses 5 and 6 spoke directly to the current state of my soul. I have been grappling with the concept of waiting on the Lord for certain things. I have always thought of waiting as a matter of will, a state of mind and it has never quite clicked. Somehow the idea that my soul is waiting on God has centered me. There is a simultaneous state of longing and a state of peace. It is where I find rest. My soul is waiting on the Lord even when my heart and mind do not know how. I wish I could explain it better but it makes sense to me.

I've spent all day re-visiting the site and looking at all of the posts – such an encouraging and faith-building want to spend a Friday. As some sister here, I don't have a blog, and not on FB during this time, so I'm posting here, with a few links to other things.
I don't know if I have one specific thing to share with today's passage but I do know that I have spent nearly the past two hours this afternoon literally soaking in the Word and the Holy Spirit. It's been incredible! I took some time to read through a SRT devotional from last year, Songs of Ascent, which focused on Psalm 130 as well. I pulled out my journal from then and loved seeing what I was processing through at that time. Through all of that, it just reminds me that my God – OUR God – is so very faithful in all circumstances. Then, today, I spent more time journaling and praying than normal, which in itself was sweet. At the end I decided I wanted to have a time of worship so I went to YouTube and found a few songs I wanted to share with you all.
This first link is to my Instagram post, so I can share some of my social media outlet with you all :) http://instagram.com/p/lQgbl5tyOQ/
These next three are my worship songs from this afternoon.
From the Depths of Woe – Indelible Grace http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aVWBSmghAs
Oceans (Where Feet May Fail) – Hillsong UNITED http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dy9nwe9_xzw
This Is What You Do – Bethel Live ft. William Matthews http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z482u6Crf84

WOWser … or better said Way to go and what's Amanda's new word ??? (couldn't find it-lol) It's so refreshing and such a beautiful collection of sisters sharing God's Word in Psalm 130, I could almost cry … just looking at how many have reflected and shared! Praise God!

Peggy
(could I also ask for prayers for my husband who was in a rollover accident in his truck this past Mon. on treacherous MN slick roads? He's in a neck brace and alive, so I'm thankful to God for that, and he's been sent home now from the hospital. Thanks! – if you recall he has not accepted Jesus yet, but by God's grace … I believe he will. Amen)

Psalm 130 speaks to David crying out to the Lord from in a deep situation. It is a desperate cry in which he is making his supplications known to God and requesting God to hear him out.
No matter where a righteous man is found God will hear his cry, all you have to do is cry out genuinely and He will deliver you.
Iniquity is found in all man, therefore if the LORD should start pointing them out, no man will be left before him.
The Lord is however a forgiving God, hence we will be forgiven of our iniquities once they are done away with.
Wait earnestly on the Lord with your soul and hope in His word.
Hope also in God in whom there is mercy and redemption for only He can redeem his people of their iniquity. #SheSharesTruth #SheReadsTruth

I love Psalm 130 and especially the idea of waiting on the Lord in verses 5-6. I had never thought about this passage before in the context of Lent. We spend 40 days fasting and waiting on the Lord. What a great reminder that we don't just wait, but that we wait for the Lord and our soul waits. I often think about waiting in my life for people, things or the next thing on my schedule. What does waiting for the Lord look like? Verse 5 says one part is putting my hope in His word. This means I need to know and to meditate on His Word to be able to put my hope in it.
This isn't hopeless waiting! We know that Jesus will redeem us from our sins (verse 8). Amen to that!
I gave up impatience for Lent and I hadn't thought about the spiritual act of waiting upon the Lord. This often can be hard when I have an agenda or timeline. I am coming out of a difficult season full of anxiety. The Lord has brought me through it and rooted out my anxiety. This allows me to trust Him more and part of trusting is waiting. It's also being present to the work God is doing in my life.
What a good word for today!

Feeling trapped, Sisters. Everytime I feel bad I try to slice the bad feelings away. I'm always after that sense of relief. I'm addicted and hooked onto my razors. When I first started this eleven years ago I thought I could stop anytime I wanted. This is a way I deal with my pain inner turmoil all the crazy thoughts running through my mind. Too scared to surrender area of my life over to God and throw my razors away even though I know He wants me to. Wants me to rely on Him; not temporary relief, a temporary fleeting high.

Dear Angela, you've made the first steps in recognising the thing for what it is and realising what you have to do. Please get some help with this too from people you can confide in and trust. I pray that God would give you the courage to throw those razors away and that He would fill their place, and fill it so abundantly! If you can get hold of it, listen to Philippa Hanna's song called Sharks. There is a recording on YouTube I think. xx

Angela, dear heart – I've been in your place. My last time was some years ago, but I remember throwing my razor across the bathroom and crying out to God, knowing so fully that I didn't have the strength to stop. Don't rely on yourself in this – we are weak beings, but God tells us that where we are weak is when He is strong. Draw your strength from Him – it's clear you are beginning to see how to do this. Don't stop here! I am praying fiercely for you dear one.

Running, Running, never looking back, never looking forward.
Searching, Searching, for something, someone to fill the emptiness I felt.
Turning away, Turning away from the God of my childhood. Trying hard to forget His existence.
Falling deeper, Falling deeper, into a life so far from you Lord that there was no possibility of coming back.

OUT OF THE DEPTHS I CRY TO YOU O LORD.

Waiting, waiting for a love that will heal my hurts, that will forgive my sins. Waiting onr Your Love Lord. Your healing love that accepts me as I am.

IF YOU O LORD KEPT A RECORD OF SINS, WHO COULD STAND? BUT WITH YOU THERE IS FORGIVENESS.

Hoping, Hoping for a new life. A life filled with joy, forgivenss, a future, a new beginning.

O ISRAEL, PUT YOUR HOPE IN THE LORD, FOR WITH THE LORD IS UNFAILLING LOVE AND WITH HIM IS FULL REDEMPTION.

“I called you answered and came to my rescue.” Lord I am no longer running , no longer searching, no longer turning away from you. I know your love, your forgiveness and I put my hope in you O Lord. “and I want to be where you are”

This is wonderful! I love that everyone has a different take on the same verses. Some focus on words I passed right over. Some describe a personal meaning of the verses that I wouldn't have thought of. Beautiful!

I decided to make a Facebook page to add posts about each scripture we're reading. Here's the page and the first post….This truly is an awesome experience! Thanks She Reads Truth for challenging us to do this! https://www.facebook.com/pages/Refreshing-Fridays…

My soul is happy ladies and I know that the Father rejoices in His daughters seeking Him today. Beautiful revelations – enjoying Bryan & Katie Torwalt's I Breathe You In, God.
When I don't understand I choose You

Curled up with my cup of coffee and clicking through the links posted in the comments here. Love reading everyone’s thoughts. Thank you all for sharing. This is such a great idea and I plan on participating next week! :)

Hi Ladies: Thank you for this lovely opportunity to share on Psalm 130! I don't have a social media outlet, so I'm placing my comments here. I"ll make it brief. Have a lovely day!

Psalm 130 and 131: Managing Anxiety Through Reconciliation and Worship
Forgiveness from God allows us to wait on Him. Do we have a need, a supplication? Let us ask Him for forgiveness for our sins, first. It's amazing how repentance leads us into worship – waiting- with our hearts set straighten now by the Spirit, our sins no longer weighing us down with anxieties. While we wait, we worship. The watchman in the psalm is not just waiting – but he is waiting with anticipation, longing. maybe it's the same? We wait long on this earth for heaven, and while we wait, we worship (1 Chronicles 16) . Waiting on Him, His presence, His answer is an honor, it is not a task. While we wait, our hearts are changed, and grow pregnant with longing.If we are burdened by our sins, and are not first seeking forgiveness from the Lord, we are NOT waiting, but continue to ask, ask, ask for the water that does not quench. We ask for a snake thinking it is a fish (Luke 11:11) Moving into Psalm 131, is the picture of a baby, weaned, resting quietly on the mother's breast. This is our soul after our waiting/worship! It is the rest of God. Waiting on the Lord, after repenting, allows us to receive His forgiveness, which moves us into a place of worship and, ultimately, rest. When we try to do "sin management", without taking it the Lord, we are burdened by them, ours hearts cannot wait on Him, they cannot worship, and thus we are overwhelmed by our anxieties. As the psalmist wrote in 131: 1: " O Lord, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty; nor do I involve myself in great matters, or in things too difficult for me. Surely I have composed and quieted my soul."

I too can't wait to DIVE in and read all your posts even though I don't have a Psalm 130 post (I did study and read it). I don't have FB or Pinterest or Instagram just blog and my blog posts are set up and done way ahead til Easter due to ministry time here.

So here I am in the comments and I'll try to capture it more briefly than I usually comment on this perfect penitent psalm of love, pardon and encouragement for this season of Lent. 8 powerful verses that capture the themes that SRT has for this plan from the Depths to the Heights "His Redemption"; our redemption; the final victory!

As I first read through Psalm 130 these are the words that stood out in each verse(of course it depends on what version you read):
1)depths 2) mercy 3) record of sins 4) forgiveness 5) hope 6) wait 7 & 8) unfailing love of redemption … redeemed from all our sins!

Each verse marks a soul's repentance and God's response.

LORD, May my desire always be a humble repentance and towards establishing a better relationship towards You and with You. May I come before You daily confessing my sins so that I might change and be cleansed with a pure heart after You like David in the Psalm. Help me in whatever condition my soul is in, to lay it open before You; knowing with an expectant heart as I cry out, You hear me, restore me, renew me, reconcile me, and redeem me. Thank You for Your aMazing grace and mercy. Thank You for such unfailing love! I love You and I give You ALL this day in Jesus' precious name, I ask that Your Holy Spirit fill me and use me and take control over every situation, and all glory, honor and praise will be Yours forever and ever …
***
I love, as often is the beauty of SRT, how each of you are responding, sharing, uplifting, encouraging one another … You all shine the beauty of Christ as you do this and this is what makes SRT stand out (besides the wonderful team of writers) … well worth the READ!

Enjoy reading, being blessed and a wonderful weekend in the LORD,
Peggy

I don't have a blog, but I wanted to participate in the challenge! So, I'm going to post my response to Psalms 130 here!

My record of sins

It is scary to think what my record of sins would look like. A long list of repeated sins, a few big no-no’s, suppressed sins. I can only imagine how long that list would be. The scene from “Bruce Almighty” when Bruce finds God’s “filing cabinet” keeps playing over and over in my mind. My list is too large to fathom. I can imagine myself standing at that filing cabinet in disbelief at all my sins. I constantly sin in my everyday life, but I don’t think I always realize it. The smaller sins slip past me.

When I begin to think about this list, I begin to think about the sins I disregard. The white lie I told my friend to get out of a boring movie or the time I took my anger out on someone I love. Soon, it is easy to get bogged down in the sinful nature of my life. Often, we are surrounded by sin in society. At school, many students talk about things I don’t agree with, but I usually just stand there and listen. Our society is sinful by nature; a majority of the media we watch and listen to is not serving God’s kingdom. It seems like our attempts to be God’s ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20). But then, the psalmist offers a glimmer of hope to all sinners: But with you [God] there is forgiveness. (Psalms 130: 4).
The season of lent is a time to remember our sinful natures, but not linger on them. God will forgive us, and he only has to forgive once. Lent is a time for repentance. Let us wait for our Lord through prayer and scripture during this season like the watchmen who wait for sunrise. They diligently wait and seek the morning – we should do the same for our Lord.

The most comforting thing is the Lord will come. We have to wait through our prayer and scripture time, but He is always there. We know that at the end of the season, Jesus will die on the cross for our sins. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). God knows we are sinners, but he sent his son as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. This season, we will wait for his sacrifice to redeem our sinful selves. That is God’s ultimate gift of hope. We all have this gift because of our God’s love and mercy. Because, He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins. (Psalms 130: 8). No matter how long our list, no matter how big our file, no matter how “bad” the sin, God will always forgive our record of sins.

I just found out about this website by a coworker last week and I fell in love with it. Reading psalm 130 this morning was Gods doing. I have done something wrong recently and I needed Gods forgiveness. And reading this passage helped me so much I know God has already forgiven me and itsnt it amazing thst he forgives!?!? I know he was given me so I need to forgive myself Because I have no right to not forgive myself if the lord has forgiven me. The lord is coming back what a wonderfuk day that will be. #shereadstruth

I probably should have planned a bit better – lesson learned for next week – but I'll have to take more time later today and this evening to read through everyone's precious thoughts on this passage, and to post something of my own. I can't wait to return later today!

Wow. I’m not sure I’ve ever read this Psalm before. Or maybe I have, but it didn’t hit me the way it did today.
I have experienced God’s forgiveness and mercy in a huge way recently. It is such a relief that I can repent and know that He will forgive and be merciful. And He shows that mercy in a tangible way. For example, through the way my husband forgives and shows mercy. I had been caught in an affair. I let the devil have a foothold for far too long. I was relieved when it was found out. My husband forgave me and chose to stay and do the hard work of reconciliation with me. He wakes up every morning and chooses to love me. That’s mercy. That’s not his doing, it’s the Lord’s.
I have learned (through intense Christian counseling) to put my hope in the Lord and His unfailing love. I have learned that no man on earth can be everything I need, but God can. My soul waits for the Lord. My soul longs for the Lord. I have returned to Him and He has welcomed me back like the prodigal son.
Repentance and rest are found in His salvation. (See Isaiah 30:15) And I am so thankful for that! I can rest knowing that my sin I removed as far as the east is from the west. And it’s been paid for.
Sisters, pray for me as my husband and I do the hard work of reconciliation. Pray for my husband. This process is incredibly difficult. Praise God that He is restoring us.

I so enjoyed your blog but I’m not on wordpress so I’m not sure how to leave a message. Thank you for reminding us we were bought back from captivity of sin!! So true. That us why I wait on the Lird because I’m His. And He is mine. Thank you for sharing!!!

She Reads Truth carried me through some of my darkest moments last Easter. Let this be an encouragement that Jesus will meet you wherever you are. Whatever sin you are tangled in. Blessings my dear sisters…..http://shelimassie.com/2014/03/07/sheets-twisted-…

I commented on your blog, but I wanted to comment here too! ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!!! You painted such a vivid picture of the desperation we can all relate to when we're waiting on our relief from the Lord. Selah

I am so so soooooo excited! but also nervous, I've never written something like this, but writing it was a wonderful experience and I feel like I drew closer to God through it. We should do this every week! :-)

I posted on your blog, but I wanted to comment here too! Your post was so incredibly beautiful. I was like who is this sister sharing my heartbeat?!?! I am SOOO grateful that you shared. I am so grateful that He reminds us so gently and lovingly that we are not alone…not in the tiniest thought or sentiment!

Hi friends! I am so excited for this! I think it's a brilliant challenge, and I can't wait to see what is on everyone's hearts! I've been on a writing kick lately, so I decided to give it a try. I'm not really a morning person, and I don't usually get here until later in the evening most days, so I figured I would share this as I headed for bed. Have a fantastic day, friends!http://amhobkirk.wordpress.com/2014/03/07/sheshar…